1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of media and communication control devices. More specifically, this invention relates to the technologies of controlling a data stream from a data stream source and decoding it so that it may be used by the existing media playing network of a facility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Schools have traditionally used intercoms, paging systems, and public address systems. Over the years, technologies developed enabling the use of more advanced audio-visual equipment. For example, it's not unusual for the rooms in a school, or other facility, interconnected by an existing cable network. On each cable network, numerous media players, for example televisions, are all shared. Each of these media players are capable of receiving analog signals. The signals are combined. Different signals may be accessed by changing the channel. The source for these signals could come from outside the facility in some sort of broadcast or cable transmittal. The signal might have also come from a media device, such as a VCR or DVD within the facility.
As technology progressed further, different sources of the media were used. FIG. 1 shows a conventional arrangement in which media is transmitted to a media player using a digital signal. The source of the digital signal is a data stream source 50. Source 50 is typically some sort of server. Server 50 will typically contain numerous data files. These data files will most likely contain compressed and stored motion video and animation in digital form. The most common type of such files are referred to as MPEG's. Server 50 may contain numerous different types of MPEG's, but also might contain multiple instances of each particular MPEG so that the same movie (or other audio-visual file) may be viewed simultaneously at different times.
These files will be delivered to an end user by way of a data stream 54. Data stream 54 is a digital signal. It is a continuous stream of data elements which when transmitted will be used to create the desired audio visual presentation.
This prior art system works through the facility's local area network (“LAN”). In most facilities, e.g. schools, the LAN 52 is unable to effectively handle large volumes of data traffic. This is because such systems were traditionally not meant to handle data streaming. They are instead designed to handle data transmissions in the form of separate records, rather than unbounded streams.
This kind of system typically has numerous work stations, or PCs tapped into it which are all part of a workgroup on the network. PCs 64 and 66 are examples of two PCs on the same network. Data stream 54 is delivered through LAN 52. It is drawn out of LAN 52 as data stream 56 into a decoder 58.
Decoders are necessary to convert a digital data stream into an analog signal which can be accessed by televisions and other media playing devices. These are readily commercially available, and are expensive. Probably five or six times more expensive than a standard television. Decoder 58 is used in FIG. 1 to convert data stream 56, which is a digital signal, into an analog/RF signal 62. Analog signals are used to operate television sets, or other audio visual devices. A media player (MP1) 60 will be used in a part of the facility, e.g. a school classroom, using signal 62 after it has been decoded. With this FIG. 1 type arrangement, a separate decoder is required for every media player in each particular classroom.
This arrangement is problematic for at least two reasons. First, the amount of data traffic passing through the LAN 52 is oftentimes excessive. This is because data streams 54 passing there through tends to tie the system up. The transmission of MPEG's will require too much of the LAN's resources. This may seriously interfere with the operation of PCs 64, 66 and any other computing devices shared in the network. Most vintage LANs are simply incapable of handling the kind of volume delivered during the data streaming of MPEGs or other audio-video signals. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a process or system that would alleviate the data congestion caused.
The second problem with this prior art system is that the decoders are excessively expensive. As can be recalled from above, a separate decoder (such as decoder 58) must be provided for each individual media player (such as media player 60) existent on the system. For numerous classrooms, this requires numerous decoders. Oftentimes this will be over-burdensome from a budgetary standpoint because the decoders are so expensive.